Sunday, 12 January 2014

Major Government finance bribe for fracking

First there was the £100,000 bribe - contrast that with policing costs for the Manchester fracking protest at £50,000+ a week.

Cameron's new major finance bribe for austerity-struck cash-poor councils will mean £1.7m per drill site.

Taxpayers money to bribe councils into easy acceptance of a highly polluting industry

Martin Deane, Hull and East Riding Green Party

Embargoed until 00:01 Monday 13th January

PM ANNOUNCES LOCAL COUNCILS TO RECEIVE MILLIONS OF POUNDS IN ADDITIONAL BUSINESS RATES FROM SHALE GAS DEVELOPMENTS

Millions of pounds in business rates will be handed to councils in England which give the green-light to shale gas developments, the Prime Minister will announce today.

The PM will say councils can keep 100 per cent of business rates they collect from shale gas sites – double the current 50 per cent figure.

This commitment could be worth up to £1.7m a year for a typical site. It will be directly funded by central government.

The decision to back the shale gas industry is part of our long-term economic plan to build a stronger, more competitive economy, create more jobs and secure a better future for Britain.

Shale gas represents a huge economic opportunity for the UK with research from the Institute of Directors showing investment could reach £3.7bn a year and support 74,000 jobs in the oil, gas, construction, engineering and chemicals sectors. The industry will today set out proposals on how best to secure a role for UK companies as part of its supply chain as shale gas production develops in the UK.

Community benefits for local people will also be strengthened. Last year, the industry announced that local communities would receive £100,000 when a test well is fracked – and a further 1% of revenues if shale gas is discovered. This could be worth £5-£10m a year for the typical site. The industry has today confirmed it will further consult on how this money can best be shared with the local community, with options on the table including direct cash payments to people living near the site, plus the setting up of local funds directly managed by local communities.

Prime Minister David Cameron said:

"A key part of our long-term economic plan to secure Britain's future is to back businesses with better infrastructure. That's why we're going all out for shale. It will mean more jobs and opportunities for people, and economic security for our country".

Today's action builds on the action the Government has already taken to back our shale gas production sector, which has already unlocked investment:

In the Autumn Statement 2013, we introduced the most competitive tax regime in Europe for shale gas. New operators in this emerging industry will now have an effective tax rate that is lower than in the US. We have streamlined and simplified the regulation of exploration activity through the Environment Agency, including developing a single application form for permits. And we will go further in 2014 - the Environment Agency aims to reduce permitting times for low-risk activity from 13 weeks to approximately 2 weeks during 2014

Centrica last year announced an investment of up to £160m in shale gas projects in the Bowland shale. GDF Suez recently announced a £25m investment for several shale gas and coal-bed methane projects in Cheshire and the East Midlands. The 14th onshore licensing round, planned for later this year, is expected to bring more new entrants to the market, helping ensure the UK is able to get the most value from its onshore oil and gas resources.